Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Patti Page in Marina del Rey, Saturday 8/19, 7pm

Elvis died 29 years ago today. He more or less ended Patti Page's reign at the top of the charts. After Elvis, rock and roll ruled, Elvis was crowned the king, and almost everyone who came before was relegated to the adult contemporary ghetto on the radio dial.

People forget that Presley was a crossover artist, going from country to pop. Even more forgotten is that Patti Page was the first crossover artist, and her Tennessee Waltz was at the top of the pop, country, and blues charts at the same time.

Even though she would never come close to the acclaim she received in the early fiftys, Page has continued to record, earning a Grammy in 1998 for Best Traditional Country Singer. She's recorded over 100 albums, and had over 84 top 40 hits.